Former Hackensack police chief awaits sentencing

Former Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa is due in court for sentencing Thursday.

Zisa faces at least five years in prison for improperly removing his then-girlfriend from the scene of an accident in 2008 and filing a fraudulent insurance claim for $11,000 in damages.

In an unusual move last week, the judge overturned three official misconduct convictions stemming from allegations that Zisa failed to recuse himself from a 2004 investigation of his then-girlfriend's sons.

The judge said he had substantial concerns about the evidence.

The Record newspaper reports Zisa's lawyer plans to ask the judge to allow Zisa to remain free on bail while he appeals his official misconduct and insurance fraud convictions.